There are many occasions in which it is demanded to provide the quick coupling of two pipes, as also their equally quick separation. This is the case, for example, of piping used for the transfer of fluid oil products in difficult environment conditions, sometimes dangerous, as in open sea or from sea to earth and vice-versa.
To this purpose there are currently known quick-coupling and quick-release connector devices, that are capable to couple and to uncouple to each other two pipes in a safe and quick way.
One of these is described in EP-A-0153773 and comprises two tubular fitting parts that are fastenable to respective pipes to be joined and quick-coupling and quick release means for said fitting parts. The quick coupling and quick release means comprise a plurality of locking segments that are circumferentially distributed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said fitting parts and housed in a radially movable way in respective radial slots of a projecting axial portion of a first fitting part that, during the coupling step, is superimposable to a corresponding projecting axial portion of the second fitting part. A revolving ring can be controlled to rotate around the projecting portion of the first fitting part in order to work on said locking segments so as to bias them into radial housings of said projecting portion of the second fitting part or to house them in their radial housings, respectively for the coupling and the uncoupling of said fitting parts. A hydraulic cylinder reacting between said first fitting part and said revolving ring usually provides to the movement of the revolving ring.
This is an extremely safe and quick connector, that assures the coupling and the separation of the two pipes in an optimal way.
The only possible inconvenience can consist in a difficulty in uncoupling theoretically determinable by the missed working of the cylinder for the movement of the revolving ring, for instance because of a formation of ice after a long period of permanence of the connector in open sea or as a result of transfer of oil products at very low temperature. In such case, in fact, the ring does not rotate and the connector does not open in order to release the two pipes.